A native of Colombia, South America, Jairo Prado has lived and worked as a visual artist in Nashville since 1984, creating commissioned works and exhibiting nationally and internationally. Noted solo exhibitions include the Leu Gallery at Belmont University and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Prado’s work was also chosen for the Biennial Best of Tennessee Craft Artists at the Hunter Museum of American Art. His work can be found in multiple public and private collections, including the Millennium Collection at the Tennessee State Museum, as well as Nashville's Music City Center.
Prado has also been an educator to the community, frequently collaborating with universities, community organizations, and arts institutes. His work with the community focuses on celebrating the history, culture, and creative expression of those who inhabit the city. These collaborative opportunities provide a greater impact upon the audience and ultimately achieve a higher purpose, which is to encourage cultural unity and community transformation through the arts. His most significant collaboration is the creation of the architectural mosaic mural, "Migration,” featured on the main facade of the Casa Azafrán Community Center. The project involved a year of concept planning and a year of creation and installation, engaging over 350 community members in open studio sessions to create the 7,000 piece, 30'0" x 12'6" three-dimensional mosaic mural. “Migration” was selected for the prestigious 2014 Mosaic Arts International Exhibition hosted by the Society of American Mosaic Artists, and named a "Best of the Southeast" travel destination by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Susan Prado is a native Nashvillian and practicing visual artist, writer, and creative facilitator. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design in 2001, and her experience in the field of design, architecture, and urban planning has been an important element of her work as an artist, community arts instructor, and project design coordinator. Since 2005 she has collaborated with partner, Jairo Prado, establishing Prado Studio and coordinating multiple large-scale community outreach projects. Her expertise in management and implementation of hands-on workshops, apprenticeship programs, public art projects, commissions and architectural installations has enabled the Prado Studio to engage and impact the local community in significant ways as they partner with schools, organizations, institutions, arts agencies, builders, city planners, architects, and contractors. Her personal and community-based work explores creative, cultural and spiritual identity, as well as the process of healing and transformation.
